Law and Justice in Post-British Nigeria

Based on data from Nigeria's Igbo, this book examines the roles of the native and the foreign, English-style justice systems in the administration of law and justice in Nigeria. Okereafoezeke looks at the nature of colonially imposed justice in Nigeria and the relationship between informal and formal justice in the country through the use of case studies. He concludes that the imposed English-style justice system is incapable of dealing with Nigeria's social control problems because it does not anticipate and manage the wide range of issues that the native systems do. Thus, the focus of future social control should rightly be on the native system. Okereafoezeke considers three main aspects of justice in contemporary Igbo: Law Making, Law Application (Case Processing), and Enforcement of Judicial Decisions. For each of these areas, he includes discussion of methods, steps, and procedures followed. Findings demonstrate that Nigeria's native justice systems work exceedingly well, even in the very harsh British-imposed, Nigerian-sustained official climate. The study also offers recommendations for repositioning Nigeria's native justice systems for improved social control.